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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26331775">A kiss by any other name</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/starchasm/pseuds/starchasm'>starchasm</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Once Upon a Time (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, F/F</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:20:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,306</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26331775</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/starchasm/pseuds/starchasm</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Oft-troubled Ensign Emma Swan of Starfleet's security division meets a Romulan/Vulcan Ambassador who is not all that she seems.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>63</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Swan Queen Supernova V: Forever Starstruck</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A kiss by any other name</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/DamaLasi/gifts">DamaLasi</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26228548">Vulcan Kiss</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/DamaLasi/pseuds/DamaLasi">DamaLasi</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story was inspired by DamaLasi's lovely art, 'Vulcan Kisses'. Please go check it out!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ensign Emma Swan drained the remnants of her glass and set it down on the bar triumphantly, to the sound of her comrades' cheers. She was probably approaching her limit but she wasn't going to worry about that now. The throb of the music in this bar and the pleasant heft of her roulette winnings filling her pockets gave her a sense of exhilaration. She was at the top of her game.</p><p> </p><p>One of her closest friends, known affectionately as Red, tried pulling Emma out onto the dance floor. Emma groaned in good-natured protest. </p><p> </p><p>“You know I don’t dance!” Still, she allowed Red to lead her by the hand into the mass of writhing bodies. She shifted around for a second and tossed her head back in a laugh. Red was in her element, though, and soon dancing in between two Bajoran twins. Taking her cue to thankfully exit, Emma caught Red’s eye and winked before moving off the dance floor. She stood uncertainly for a moment but recovered herself. A pair of twins was a little more than she was looking for tonight but having someone to spend the rest of her evening with, to share a drink or something more, would be ideal.</p><p> </p><p>Emma started making a circuitous route around the dance floor and toward an arch leading to the quieter area housing the casino. After coming through the doorway, a frankly stunning Romulan sitting at the far end of the bar and sipping on a blue-colored cocktail caught her eye. Just as Emma had nearly made her way over to her, she was smoothly intercepted by another Romulan woman, agile and tall and very much in Emma’s way. </p><p> </p><p>“Excuse me,” Emma said, trying to step around the woman who seemed to glide to block Emma’s path again. “Pardon me,” Emma tried, and stepped the other way. Another glide, another block. “Right, are we having a problem here?” Emma stepped back to size up her opposition. “Because I’m trying to –”</p><p> </p><p>“Runul, step aside, please,” said a low, husky voice.</p><p> </p><p>Emma was trying to see around the statuesque woman but she had somehow magically disappeared out of Emma’s immediate sightline, leaving Emma leaning awkwardly to the side as she met the attractive Romulan’s eyes. <em> She really </em> was <em> stunning </em>, Emma thought. Her dark hair was twisted up elegantly, with a few tendrils curling loosely around her ears, and the sheer material of her magenta and purple dress softly reflected the casino’s lighting onto her tanned skin. Emma realized she was staring and tried to suppress a rising blush and stood upright, moving over to her target and leaning on the bar beside the other woman. </p><p> </p><p>Somehow, not feeling at the top of her game anymore, Emma stammered, “Hey there. Hi. I’m Emma. Swan. Emma Swan. Thanks for calling off the muscle, by the way.” She met the Romulan’s eyes again, clearing her throat slightly and willing herself to stop sounding like an idiot. “Would you mind if I - could I join you for - may I get you a drink?” Emma stuttered. </p><p> </p><p><em> Smooth, Emma. Way to go, </em> she thought, suppressing a sigh.</p><p> </p><p>The woman looked pointedly at her half-finished drink with a raised eyebrow and then seemed to reconsider. “I am R’Gina. Join me, Emma. If you wish.” She made a graceful movement with her hand toward the stool beside her. </p><p> </p><p>Emma slid onto the stool next to R’Gina and found herself trying to sit up straighter to match R’Gina’s perfect posture. She then told the attentive bartender that she would have whatever R’Gina was having. </p><p> </p><p>The other woman asked in a low trill, “Are you certain you will be able to handle Romulan ale? Not many humans are able to withstand it.”</p><p> </p><p>Emma snorted ungracefully and then recovered herself. “I can handle my liquor, believe me.”</p><p> </p><p>The Romulan’s hint of a smile was all the answer she received as the bartender slid Emma’s drink toward her. She once again met R’Gina’s eyes and then raised her glass in a toast and drank deeply.</p><p> </p><p>“So, let’s get to know each other a bit better, R’Gina,” Emma gave her best smile and shifted slightly closer as she set her glass on the bar and signalled the bartender for a round of refills.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Emma lay on her bunk, spinning an alloy trinket she’d picked up at a market stall on the last M-class planet her ship, the <em> USS Coleoptera </em>, had docked on. The bright yellow of the metals had caught her eye then, and right now, the soothing way it reflected the artificial lights of the ship was somewhat keeping her mind off of her hangover, the mysterious woman she had met last night, and the stern lecture she’d gotten from her superior thirty minutes ago. </p><p> </p><p><em>“You can’t keep flouting protocol like this, Swan,”</em> <em>Lieutenant Fa had barked, “You’ve been given another chance to prove yourself and from what I’m seeing, you’re still not taking it seriously.”</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Emma had tried to interject and defend herself, to explain just how quickly the night out she’d been on with her shipmates had gone sideways, but Lieutenant Fa had held up a hand and carried on.  “I don’t want to have to talk to you about this again. Next time it goes on your record, Swan, and then, you’ll likely be off this ship. Dismissed, Ensign.”  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Emma had stalked out of the Security office and headed to her quarters in a funk and feeling unfairly chewed out. She knew her own limits, and thought the exhaustive tactical routines and protocol drills Fa always had them practicing didn’t always work outside of the confines of the ship. Emma trusted her gut before protocol, it had rarely steered her wrong in her 26 years in this universe. Except of course, for that one disastrous time, which in a succession of calamitous events and great personal cost, started her career with Starfleet. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Emma sighed and sat up, tossing the trinket on her pillow. Her current frustration was nothing that a good workout in the holodeck couldn’t cure, but her hangover was making it hard to want to do that. It would definitely give her mind a break from reliving the interrupted encounter she’d had with R’Gina the night before, though. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> She and R’Gina had been having a somewhat constrained conversation, with Emma trying to engage the Romulan with what she thought were her best seductive lines and funny stories when the other woman had disarmed her with a rather blunt offer.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “You do not seem to get to the point very quickly, Emma Swan. If you would like for our encounter to be of a sexual nature, then perhaps you would do better to communicate that directly, rather than to spend our time becoming inebriated on a drink you seem to not be handling especially well, if the hue of your complexion is an accurate indicator.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em> Emma, who’d been starting to feel the heat of the drink going to her cheeks, blushed even more. As she sputtered for an answer, R’Gina stood gracefully from her stool. “I believe the ship I am travelling on is not docked far from yours, Emma. Would you like to spend the night with me? </em>”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Emma felt her entire body flush with a heat that could not be attributed solely to the ale she’d been drinking, and could only stutter a “Yes” in reply as she stood in turn and started to follow R’Gina. Then she became aware of the bodyguard’s looming presence a step or two behind her. “Uh… I wasn’t expecting a threesome, by the way. I trust the muscle isn’t intended to be a part of the night’s proceedings?” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> R’Gina emitted a gentle sound that may have been a laugh. “No. Runul is a trusted friend and part of my personal guard. She will not interfere unless she has reason to.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Beautiful and rich, or at least important enough to need a bodyguard. Emma had hit the jackpot twice tonight, she thought. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> She followed R’Gina out of the bar and onto a taxi shuttle that took them to the place R’Gina’s ship was docked. As they went through the ship’s corridors, Emma noted the sparse staff and richness of the ship’s design, which seemed an odd contrast with what little she knew of Romulans. When they got to R’Gina’s quarters, Runul took up station outside the doors which shut smoothly behind them. Emma barely had time to take in the opulence of her surroundings before the R’Gina moved toward her, another drink in hand.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Emma smiled and took a sip before setting her drink on a nearby table. “Nice ship.” She looked out the large display window at the stars beyond, easily spotting the two close-set white dwarfs that made up the center of the Romulan system. “I hope you’ll pardon me for saying that it doesn’t look like any Romulan ship I’ve ever seen. What is it that you–?” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> R’Gina moved closer, setting her own drink down behind Emma. “We have already established that we are not here to talk, Emma, but if you had asked, I would have told you that I am of two worlds, Vulcan and Romulus. The ship is of Vulcan design, as is my clothing. I choose to observe both sides of my heritage, and as this night passes, you will know some of both.” With this she raised a hand toward Emma, her first two fingers slightly extended.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Emma held the Romulan’s gaze, captivated, and raised two fingers with her own and met R’Gina’s touch. Her eyes closed as their fingertips grazed the other’s, and she felt an intense wave of desire arc along the points where their skin touched. “What – what are you doing to me?” Her breathing slowed and she opened her eyes. “This feels like the best kiss I’ve ever had, but we haven’t even got there yet. Not the way I’m used to doing it anyway–” Emma cut off what she was saying as another pulse of want raced along their fingers. Determined to show the other woman what she meant, Emma was beginning to lean towards R’Gina when her comm badge, pinned to the inside of her jacket, chirped to life. “Emma, where the hell are you? Get back to the casino, we’ve got a situation here!” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Emma jerked back, and R’Gina dropped the hand, the slightest of frowns forming on her face. Emma tapped the badge and stepped away, realizing that her evening was about to be cut woefully short. “I’m sorry,” Emma said, “As you’ve heard, I’m going to have to go. I think you can tell how much I don’t want to.” She moved toward the door leading to the corridor, “I can see myself off the ship, but I hope I see you again?” At R’Gina’s silence, Emma’s shoulders slumped and she jogged down the corridors towards the ship’s exitway, past the silent Runul, hoping to hail a taxi shuttle.   </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Emma got back to the club and casino quickly, where she saw her friends engaged in a shouting match with a varied group, none of whom were wearing Starfleet uniforms. Emma waded in to try and separate her friends from the rest, tripped into a scowling Klingon whose drink she spilled, and before she could utter an apology and reach her friends, all hell broke loose.    </em>
</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>She was about to go find her fellow Ensign, Red, when her badge chirped with the disconcertingly soft voice of Captain Blanchard. “Ensign Swan, report to the Captain’s office.”</p><p> </p><p>With a bite of her lip and a sigh, Emma left her quarters and headed to the turbolift to see the Captain. Worry was her first reaction: had Lieutenant Fa changed her mind and reported the skirmish that had happened? She partially dismissed that idea, though. Fa Mulan was a woman of her word – the lieutenant had said the <em> next </em> time something happened that Emma would be written up, and sulking in her quarters couldn’t have counted.</p><p> </p><p>She stepped out of the turbolift and quickly passed by the bridge, nodding to Commander Nolan, second in command on the ship and currently holding the conn. Swan presented herself at the doors which slid open to admit her. </p><p> </p><p>“Captain,” Emma stood at attention, meeting the green eyes of Captain Blanchard. </p><p> </p><p>“Ensign Swan, sit, please.” </p><p> </p><p>Emma would have just as well preferred to stand, but she took the proffered seat and waited while the Captain skimmed over a file hologram and made a thoughtful sound. Emma resisted the urge to shift in her seat like a child facing a reprimand as the silence drew on interminably.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Go on, Blanchard. Let’s get this over with. You know what’s in the file. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Ensign Swan. This isn’t the first time you’ve flouted authority, and it’s not likely to be the last. Despite warnings, despite threats, you still seem quite willing to do exactly what you decide you want to do, and nothing else.”</p><p> </p><p>Emma kept her face neutral, doubting very much that anything she could say would help her case. She waited.</p><p> </p><p>“Is there anything you’d like to clarify about this consistent pattern of behavior?”</p><p> </p><p>“I can only do what I feel is right, Captain Blanchard. You’ll see in my record that I have saved lives by —”</p><p> </p><p>“You haven’t always saved lives, Ensign.”</p><p> </p><p>Emma bowed her head. “I haven’t always saved <em> every </em> life, but everything I have done against orders resulted in lives being spared that might have otherwise been lost. I believe that counts for something. You must believe so too, or I would have been kicked off this ship and out of Starfleet long ago on your recommendation.” Emma tried to look appropriately serious and added, “With all due respect, ma’am.”</p><p> </p><p>Was she mistaken that there was a glint of humor in Captain Blanchard’s eyes? Emma wondered if she might be able to talk her way out of this one after all.</p><p> </p><p>“Why do you think all the regulations you’ve broken without a second thought are in place to begin with, Ensign Swan?”</p><p> </p><p>“For the safety and protection of the crew,” Emma repeated by rote, having heard those eight words dozens, if not hundreds of times in her career. “I will maintain that the safety and protection of the crew has always been my bottom line. I don’t do what I do to spite authority, I do what I do to protect people. There’s not always time to make sure the protocols are being followed to the letter.”</p><p> </p><p>“What would you do if there was a fire in your chambers, Ensign Swan?”</p><p> </p><p>Emma blinked. “What?”</p><p> </p><p>“What would you do? Run around screaming? Go look for a fire extinguisher? Shrug your shoulders and snuggle down in your bunk for a few more minutes of sleep and let the ship’s computer handle it?”</p><p> </p><p>Emma pursed her lips. “I’ve never run around screaming when I broke protocol, or ignored a threat, Captain.”</p><p> </p><p>“We do things the way we do them to try to keep order in a dangerous, even in a chaotic situation. There are times when cooler heads need to prevail, Ensign.”</p><p> </p><p>“And there are times when you need me,” Emma countered, holding the Captain’s gaze steadily.</p><p> </p><p>Captain Blanchard’s face took on a more speculative look. “I’m not demoting you.”</p><p> </p><p>“No?”</p><p> </p><p>“And I’m not kicking you off my ship or recommending that you be discharged from Starfleet, as you put it so bluntly. I have a new assignment for you that I think will tell me, and you, everything I need to know about your future on this ship or as a member of Starfleet. We will meet again to review your conduct once your assignment is complete. Do you agree, Ensign?”</p><p> </p><p><em> Do I have a choice? </em>Emma smiled faintly.  “Yes, Captain.”</p><p> </p><p>Captain Blanchard leaned forward, a data PADD held in her outstretched hand. Emma took some measure of pride in the fact that she didn’t so much as blink as she accepted it and saw a very familiar Vulcan-Romulan woman on its display. </p><p> </p><p>“As a favor to the Vulcan Council, I’m assigning you on a diplomatic mission to assist with security for one of their Ambassadors, R’Gina…”</p><p>                       </p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina considered her plan again. Details. So much hung on the little details, that not one of them could be ignored or overlooked. </p><p> </p><p>“Ambassador?”</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina frowned and tried to focus on what her overly talkative, overly familiar escort was saying to her.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes?”</p><p> </p><p>“I trust that your quarters are satisfactory?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. Yes. Of course, thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>The blonde human standing in front of her tilted her head expectantly.</p><p> </p><p>“Ensign Swan,” R’gina said, addressing the human by her rank to convey that it was important enough to R’Gina to mention. R’Gina raised an eyebrow as the Ensign continued to stare at her, leaning against the door jamb. “Was there something else?”</p><p> </p><p>“Is that your way of telling me that I’m dismissed?”</p><p> </p><p>“No. The question was direct.”</p><p> </p><p>Ensign Swan rolled her eyes. “My name is Emma, as you well know. There’s no need to be so formal. We’re going to get to know each other really well over the next while, I’d say. Better than we got a chance to last night, anyway. We’re old acquaintances, right?”</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina analyzed the pitch of Ensign Swan’s tone and detected some anger. “Perhaps, Ensign Swan. However, I think it best if we used the proper protocols for the duration, and therefore—”</p><p> </p><p>Emma waved a hand. “Have it your own way, Ambassador.”</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina noted that the Ensign — Emma — drawled out the word Ambassador in a way that some humanoid species would find obnoxious. Making a quick calculation, R’Gina spoke again. </p><p> </p><p>“My name, as <em> you </em> well know, Ensign, is R’Gina. Let us both use each other’s first names if that is your preference.”</p><p> </p><p>Emma smiled. “Alright then.”</p><p> </p><p>“I am not opposed to a more relaxed approach to protocol in our dealings. As a diplomat, I often have—”</p><p> </p><p>“I thought you were only half Vulcan. Are you always like this?”</p><p> </p><p>“You interrupt me often.”</p><p> </p><p>“You often don’t get to the point, unlike last night,” Emma countered. “Is that part of being a diplomat, too? The talking in circles to avoid ever actually getting anything done? Much easier to carry out ‘diplomatic missions’ than do the hard work of actually saving the common people of any planet — the duty you’ve been entrusted with. Right?”</p><p> </p><p>“You have no idea what I do. Do not presume to tell me anything about my work,” R’Gina snapped.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah. There’s the Romulan half.”</p><p> </p><p>“I am an individual, not an equation or a mix of stereotypes you have decided to project onto me. I think we are done here.” R’Gina stood at her full height and stared the Ensign down. <em> Oh, but she was irksome </em>, R’Gina thought, as Emma smiled at her.</p><p> </p><p>“That was the <em> dismissal </em> you were wondering about, Ensign Swan.”</p><p> </p><p>The blonde woman gave another little smile and bowed before retreating.</p><p> </p><p>When she was alone in her quarters, R’Gina sat down wearily and passed a hand over her eyes. Ensign Emma Swan was a wrinkle in her plans that she hadn’t anticipated. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>                        ***</p><p> </p><p>Emma spent the next day studying R’Gina from a distance. She had talked to one of her closer friends, Lieutenant Belle French, the records officer for the <em> Coleoptera, </em> and had found out some semi-classified, off-the-books info about R’Gina. She couldn’t get the woman out of her head once she’d dropped the stoic stance and let her temper flare up. Along with the memories of their first encounter, there was now the intel she’d gleaned from the records office about the Ambassador. There were whispers of R’Gina’s involvement in illegal mining on a much fought-over moon in a distant part of the quadrant, vague accusations of illicit trade deals, rumours of all sorts of less-than-savoury activities that fuelled her supposed vast wealth and status. It was all very interesting, and on the surface, very far-fetched.</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina was the heir of a Vulcan-Romulan family of untold wealth and influence across many star systems, the younger daughter of an authoritarian politician of Romulus. Qu’ra, her mother, was known as The Silken Fist - a moniker that struck fear in hearts across the quadrant. R’Gina never travelled alone, Emma saw – not even on the ship – and among her entourage were two particularly tall,  particularly dour-looking Romulan attendants, following her every move. A male, and, Emma noticed with a familiar disgruntlement, a female, the latter who Emma had already met. Neither of the attendants had spoken a word since the Ambassador’s arrival, which did nothing but add to the air of terse mystery surrounding R’Gina.</p><p> </p><p>Emma admitted to herself that she had been a little rude to R’Gina, a bit hostile even, but she just found that she had no patience for “diplomatic niceties”, and her annoyance with Blanchard for sticking her with this assignment, when her previous encounter with the ambassador had ended so abruptly, hadn’t abated yet at all.</p><p> </p><p><em> What was the point? </em> Emma wondered. She wasn’t a horse to be tamed. She was who she was, and that wasn’t going to change, whether the Starfleet <em> commandants </em> could accept it or not.</p><p> </p><p>Emma wasn’t one to apologize, but her exchange with R’Gina rankled her enough during her waking hours as she went about her duties that she found herself outside the Ambassador’s quarters and looking into the other woman’s decidedly less stormy eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey.”</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina raised an eyebrow and stood silently, waiting for Emma to continue. </p><p> </p><p>“I, uh… I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot yesterday. So to speak. I shouldn’t have said what I did. So.”</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina tilted her head. “Is this your attempt at an apology?”</p><p> </p><p>Something in the woman’s tone rankled Emma. “No.”</p><p> </p><p>“No? Although you are stumbling through it, Ensign Swan, I found it adequate.”</p><p> </p><p>“Look, Ambassador. I’m just trying to keep the peace because this mission means something to me. But if you can’t be gracious enough to accept—”</p><p> </p><p>“Accept your <em> apology </em>? I do.”</p><p> </p><p>Emma pressed her lips together, fuming. “Great,” she muttered, turning on her heel to go. </p><p> </p><p>“Ensign Swan, I —”</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina didn’t get to finish her sentence because the lights of the ship began to flash red as an alarm sounded.</p><p> </p><p>Emma’s eyes once again met R’Gina’s dark ones that were now alight with panic and fear. </p><p> </p><p>“We’re under attack.”</p><p> </p><p>                        ***</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
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</p><p>R’Gina drew on her Vulcan training and worked to transcend her fears. She tried to focus her mind, using logic and the facts at hand to recalculate a course of action.</p><p> </p><p>It didn’t help that Ensign Swan was whooping it up and being as noisy as possible as she retold their daring escape from the ship in a well-equipped shuttle and were just now preparing to land on Ardonia Prime. </p><p> </p><p>“I admit I’m not the greatest pilot,” Emma was saying to Rubor and Runul, the only two members of R’Gina’s usual entourage that had made it onto the shuttle. “But I <em> am </em> a great navigator. Not to brag, but I can find anything. Or anyone,” she bragged to the two Romulans who regarded her with what looked like suspicion. “Anyway, we’re about to touch down about 5 kilometers from the target destination I was supposed to be bringing you to…” Emma trailed off and looked over to R’Gina. “Hey, are you alright? You’re awfully quiet.”</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina permitted herself to give Emma a slight nod, and refrained from suggesting that even if she had anything to say, it would be difficult to get a word in edgewise.</p><p> </p><p>“I am fine. You performed your duties admirably, Ensign.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, my Captain knows where we are, and the ship and crew are safe. We’ll rendezvous with them after the mission. Sorry I didn’t have time to get the rest of your staff onboard… but I thought it best if we travelled light.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course you did.” R’Gina didn’t let out the sigh she felt deep in her bones. More complications. But no matter. She could handle this alone, for the most part. Hopefully.</p><p> </p><p>When they landed, R’Gina followed Swan and her much-reduced entourage tentatively out of the ship. Rubor immediately took up the rear, several paces behind their small party while Runul took the lead a few metres.</p><p> </p><p>Emma fell into step beside R’Gina and spoke in a slightly lowered voice. “So, do those two ever say anything? I get that they’re maybe the strong, silent types but I sort of expected one of them to tell me to keep quiet by now. People usually do. Or is it part of their duties to be seen and not heard?” </p><p> </p><p>“Runul and Rubor are both mute,” R’Gina answered tersely, annoyed at having to take her thoughts away from the impending meeting to answer distracting questions. “But they are also not deaf and have other ways to communicate, Ensign Swan. Perhaps you might have discovered this if you had asked them yourself.”</p><p> </p><p>Emma blushed and looked at her warily. “Sorry.” She cleared her throat and asked, “Why are you so tense? Aren’t you used to missions like these?”</p><p> </p><p>“I am used to doing them with my full security detail,” R’Gina replied curtly. “And the ships I have travelled on carrying me to such missions have never fallen under attack. But please, do excuse any tension you sense in me on those grounds.”</p><p> </p><p>Emma laughed. “Sorry. Again! I always seem to say the wrong thing to you. Listen, about the attack… I doubt it had anything to do with you. It just happens sometimes, especially around smaller planets and star systems without an advanced fleet to protect themselves. <em> Anything </em> could happen, at any time. Space isn’t all protocols and regulations, as I’m sure you’re aware. That’s part of the charm, you know.”</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina considered Ensign Swan anew. “I think I have begun to understand,” she said slowly. “For you, it is not just part of the ‘charm’, as you call it. That <em> is </em> the charm. It would perhaps point to a reason why you joined Starfleet. A human being called by the ‘romance’ of the unknown, coupled with danger that would be largely avoidable with adequate planning. A human who grew up with centuries-old tales of adventure and exploration, I take it?”</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t say I’m surprised that you know anything about Earth tales, but if I don’t get to make assumptions about you, you don’t get to make them about me,” Emma huffed, as they moved over the rocky terrain toward the nearby city. The Ensign shot R’Gina a sidelong glance with a sly half-grin on her face. “But you aren’t far wrong.” </p><p> </p><p>“Back at the shuttle, I alerted the rest of the security team where to meet us. I want this negotiation to go smoothly.”</p><p> </p><p>“Right, what exactly is it that you’re here to do?” Emma asked. “I know what Captain Blanchard told me in the briefing, but I don’t think I’m here to help ensure your safety with a simple diplomatic mission.” She stopped and turned to face R’Gina. “I know the things I’ve heard, the rumors, but I don’t believe them and I know there’s more to it.”</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina gave Emma a steady look before she spoke. “You are correct, Ensign Swan, there is more to it, but I do believe your briefing would have been clear. You are to assist me on my mission and guarantee my safety, which will in turn ensure the success of this mission. If you would keep your questions to a minimum, your answers will come in due time.” At Emma’s scowl R’Gina added, “I will say that this mission is of great importance and dealing with the Ardonian High Council requires a certain delicacy and elegance that may not come naturally to you. Nevertheless, your best efforts in the skills that you have honed within your Starfleet duties may yet prove useful to both the mission and myself.”  </p><p> </p><p>Emma pursed her lips. “Duly noted.” After a few more steps she spoke again. “So. Only the wealthy on this Council you speak of?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, yes.”</p><p> </p><p>“So you probably had to bribe them, with promises of more wealth that they don’t even need, into thinking that <em> your </em> idea was actually <em> their </em> idea, before they would agree. And if the money thing doesn’t work, then we go to Plan B, which means I do what I do best?  Something like that?”</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina’s lips twitched. “For someone who sneers at diplomacy, you have a better understanding of it than many who have made it a career.”</p><p> </p><p>“I have a good understanding of the nature of beings. Greed is <em> shockingly </em> consistent no matter where I go in the galaxy.”</p><p> </p><p>“Forgive me, Ensign Swan, but that supposition sounds rather cynical.”</p><p> </p><p>Emma gave R’Gina an impish grin. “As you’re learning, Ambassador, I’m open to having my mind changed.”</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina merely raised an eyebrow in response, digesting this as they approached the Council building.</p><p>
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</p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina adopted her most serene expression as she stood before the Council. </p><p> </p><p>“Excellencies, I thank you for the gracious welcome. Apologies for my lateness, we seem to have been unexpectedly detained en route.”</p><p> </p><p>“I can see that you’re anxious to be on your way,” Councilman Br’ei said, leaning back in his seat and making himself comfortable. “But upon further discussion, the Council has decided —”</p><p> </p><p>“The Council has decided that we cannot accept your terms for the exchange of the prisoners,” interrupted Councillor Tri’bo.</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina blinked. “The negotiation phase of our discussions is over, your Excellencies. We struck an agreement and the United Federation of Planets ratified it. It is all legal, official, and, well, finished. I am only here to express my gratitude, and to collect the prisoners.”</p><p> </p><p>A third Councillor spoke up with narrowing eyes. “Upon further discussions, we wondered… why you were so <em> interested </em> in these prisoners. Your family’s reputation precedes you, Ambassador, even in this part of the galaxy. You haven’t cultivated an image that suggests you are a <em> champion </em> of the common folk, as your mission here suggests. It was questioned…”</p><p> </p><p>“We wondered what you were getting out of all of this,” Councillor Br’ei cut in. “Will these prisoners be... <em> safe </em> with you?”</p><p> </p><p>“To be frank, their <em> safety </em> is no longer your concern, Councillors. The deal has been made, you have all been well-compensated, and what happens to them now is only of importance to me. If I thought these people would be... <em> safe... </em> on Ardonia Prime, I assure you, I would not be here,” R’Gina said, bristling internally. She cast a glance at Emma, who was standing off to one side and regarding R’Gina with an inscrutable expression. Rubor and Runul remained silent and alert as ever.</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina didn’t want to invoke Qu’ra’s name, as her mother’s influence and power were something she was trying to escape, but they were getting dangerously close to it being necessary to do so. But then, the Ardonians must have had a suspicion that Qu’ra, and the rest of the Romulan Empire for that matter, couldn’t have cared less about any of this — not some small planet far from the twin stars of Romulus and Remus and considered unworthy of regard by both the Romulan and Klingon Empires. She didn’t want to risk making a veiled threat, only to have her bluff called; that kind of humiliation would <em>not </em>serve her well in this mission. Her mind raced through scenarios. She couldn’t renegotiate terms – they wouldn’t accept them. The Ardonians had already proven themselves to be untrustworthy, and it would be dangerous for everyone involved, especially the refugees. She struggled to find some leverage in her position that would not require some form of violent altercation or dire threats but came up empty. She also knew, however, that unless she was prepared to fight, she wasn’t going to leave Ardonia Prime without the people she had come to help.</p><p> </p><p>She had thought she’d prepared for everything: stalling, inadequate transport for those she was trying to rescue, or demands for even more resources from this small but greedy planet than R’Gina had already parted with. A flagrant reneging hadn’t factored into her plans.</p><p> </p><p>She heard a clearing throat and saw Emma emerging into the center of the room, with an oddly tense energy about her. </p><p> </p><p>R’Gina felt some measure of alarm at what she speculated Ensign Swan might do next.</p><p> </p><p>“Your Excellencies,” Emma began. “I wouldn’t think to address a group like you – I’m just a lowly Ensign from the USS <em> Coleoptera </em>, not an ambassador or diplomat, but I do know something about reputation. It’s the reason why I’m on this mission in the first place – totally not my thing, if you know what I mean. Anyway – I’ve learned that a reputation might seem like something easy to cast aside in the moment, but it’s actually really important, because it’s something people don’t forget. It’s hard to change an impression once it’s made. And if I may be so bold, if you do this thing in front of the whole galaxy, you won’t look strong. You won’t look like wily negotiators that put R’Gina in her place. You’ll look like, well… liars. Deal-breakers. Mercenaries. And I daresay it’ll be decades – centuries even – before Ardonians live down what you’re attempting to do here.”</p><p> </p><p>Emma cleared her throat again after taking a long look at each of the assembled Councillors. “Well. I just wanted to say my piece. As one of the common folk.”</p><p> </p><p>With an odd little bow, Emma came and stood a little behind R’Gina, but not before giving her a wink.</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina wasn’t sure if Emma had just saved the day or doomed the refugees. She looked at the assemblage of Councillors not with hope, but with something close to it stirring gently in her chest. Had Emma’s words had the desired effect?</p><p> </p><p>Heads bowed, low voices murmured. Finally Councillor Br’ei leaned forward, folding his hands on the table in front of him. </p><p> </p><p>“After considering the loquacious Ensign’s statement, we unanimously agree that we simply cannot release the prisoners into your custody at this time, Ambassador. Therefore —”</p><p> </p><p>What happened next seemed to occur in slow motion to R’Gina’s view. Councillor Br’ei stopped talking suddenly, his beady eyes widening. A Councillor at the end of the table seemed to pitch toward the ground. Others stood, others ducked under the table in a swish of satiny robes. The scene would have almost been comical under any other circumstances. </p><p> </p><p>“Come on!” Emma grabbed R’Gina by the elbow and pulled her toward the exit while Rubor tossed a stacticky smoke bomb behind them.</p><p> </p><p>In the corridor they regrouped and tried to appear calm as they walked ahead. The Councillors cooperated by not setting off any alarm– not that they could. Yet. Regina saw two guards and quickly identified herself as the diplomat here to pick up the prisoners, if they would just direct her to where they were being held, please. </p><p> </p><p>Apparently the guards knew nothing about any change of plans in the Council, and they were blessedly led through corridors and to a transport vehicle to another building.</p><p> </p><p>Emma quickly told Rubor and Runul to get back to the shuttle and to be ready to beam them aboard on her signal. She then tapped her comms badge and tried to get contact with the <em> Coleoptera </em>.</p><p> </p><p>“This is Ensign Swan, we have a 286-58 in progress here, location Aldonia Prime, do you copy?”</p><p> </p><p>Emma barked out a few more codes and their location as she and R’Gina rushed toward the holding area and finished with a curt “Swan out.” Emma noticed R’Gina looking at her and said “What?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nothing. That was a lot of protocol and code you just rattled off.”</p><p> </p><p>“So?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sounds like the fastest way to communicate a lot of information… I did not expect you to know as much as you clearly do.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I don’t live by the book <em> all </em> the time, but yes, there are <em> some </em> protocols that are useful in the heat of the moment. Wait, why are we talking about this now?”</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina allowed herself the smallest of smiles, as they tried not to draw too much attention to themselves crossing the open area toward the building where the prisoners were being held. “No reason. Just an observation.”</p><p> </p><p>“Come on, we’ve got to be quick.”</p><p> </p><p>                            ***</p><p> </p><p>“So?” Emma started as they hurried along. “You said there was more to it. Now seems as good a time as any to let me know what you’re really doing here, doesn’t it?”</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina spared Emma a quick glance before she started speaking in hushed tones. “I am here to help people in need: people in deep debt –  the sort where, on some worlds, one would be imprisoned for, or pressed into servitude; orphans with no one to take them in or care for them; those in great need with little resources from a dying planet, facing long prison sentences from trying to survive when they should have been granted leniency.” R’Gina sighed. “The trade deal I had made with the High Council of Ardonia Prime was not in exchange for free labor to increase my family’s wealth, but in exchange for these refugees’ lives. We were to have sufficient transport to resettle them on one the five newly-inhabited planets near the border of the Delta quadrant, where they will be free to live without fear of debt or imprisonment or hunger.” R’Gina paused for a breath. “All of which, I realize, sounded far more straightforward to accomplish than it actually was.”</p><p> </p><p>Emma looked at R’Gina with a new appreciation. “Now, that wasn’t so hard was it? As you can see, I’m already totally on board.”</p><p> </p><p>They rounded a corner and one of the Ardonian guards opened an energised gate that led into a wide open courtyard. Emma promptly stunned the unoccupied guard with her phaser and knocked the other out with a quick punch to the throat. They stepped through the barrier. The prisoners were in terrible looking cages, unsheltered from the sun, and R’Gina was sussing out the best way to get the cells open when Emma raised up her blaster and started shooting, causing a chaos of shrieks.</p><p> </p><p>“Well,” R’Gina said primly. “That is one way to solve the problem.” </p><p> </p><p>“I have good aim, and these good people knew enough to get out of the way.”</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina held her tongue and smiled at the wary-looking assortment of people who seemed more confused than scared by Emma’s antics. </p><p> </p><p>“Greetings, I am R’Gina of Romulus. I am here to take you to a safe harbor. Your time of mistreatment and fear is over!”</p><p> </p><p>There was no relieved babble, or huge sighs of relief between the prisoners, or even appreciation for R’Gina herself. Emma, smirking, drew herself up to her full stature and reholstered her blaster and took out a scanner, quickly going past each cell and recording the unique signatures of each of the few dozen people and transmitting it to the <em> Coleoptera </em>. </p><p> </p><p>At the fearful looks from some of the younger members of the prison population, Emma pocketed the scanner and raised her hands above her head, hoping the universal translator affixed to her uniform would do its work. “Sorry for the dramatic entrance, but we’re here to free you guys, for good. We’re taking you someplace safe, with the blessing of the Intergalactic Council, if not exactly the permission of the Ardonian muckety mucks themselves. They tried to back out on the deal to free you, but we had other plans. Don’t worry - you will be safe and secure in just a few minutes. You have my word. I’m uh, Emma Swan of Starfleet. And she,” Emma jerked a thumb at R’Gina “Is a pretty big deal, an Ambassador who has gone through quite the ordeal to rescue you all. So, yeah. You’ll be beamed into a ship and guided to comfortable quarters in just a few…”</p><p> </p><p>Emma looked down at her comms badge, turned slightly away and hissed some more codes while R’Gina tried to maintain her dignity while withstanding the curious stares of the prisoners. A little boy looked up at R’Gina with worried eyes. “I promise you - you’re safe,” she said.</p><p> </p><p>The boy smiled as the signature energization started and he along with half the prisoners were beamed away. </p><p> </p><p>There was shouting in the distance and Emma’s voice became louder. As the gate to the courtyard opened, and Ardonians with weapons shouted and started running across the baked ground, the rest of them were beamed up into safety.</p><p>
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</p><p>***</p><p>
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</p><p>Emma looked down at her new uniform with wonder. It was real enough, alright. She had made it. An actual promotion, after… well, after everything. </p><p> </p><p>“Lieutenant Swan?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, Captain?” </p><p> </p><p>Captain Blanchard’s smile seemed to reflect an understanding of everything Emma was feeling in that moment. “Have you thought about what you will do next?”</p><p> </p><p>Emma smiled back. “I have an idea. While I’ve loved being a part of Starfleet, I’m thinking that maybe there is another place in the galaxy for me.”</p><p> </p><p>“I see. And would it presumptuous of me to guess that your future plans include Ambassador R’Gina?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well,” Emma said, feeling her cheeks flush just a bit. “My thoughts had trended in that direction, yes. If she’d even want a rogue like me on her team.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t sell yourself short, Lieutenant. I believe the Ambassador would be lucky to have you.”</p><p> </p><p>Emma felt a fleeting sense of doubt about whether she really wanted to leave before the familiar pull to adventure settled her mind.</p><p> </p><p>“Good luck to you, Lieutenant. And remember, you will always have a place in Starfleet, should you ever choose to return.” Captain Blanchard held out a hand, and Emma shook it.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you, Captain. That means more to me than you know.”</p><p>
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</p><p>                        ***</p><p> </p><p>Emma joined R’Gina on the balcony where she was standing, looking upwards at the Romulan moons.</p><p> </p><p>“Ambassador.”</p><p> </p><p>“Lieutenant Swan, greetings. Congratulations on your promotion. It was well-deserved.” R’Gina’s smile, although reserved, was warm, and it went right to Emma’s heart. A dozen flowery lines flashed through her mind but she checked them and kept her tone light instead.</p><p> </p><p>“I keep telling you to call me Emma. Now you sort of <em> have </em>to call me Emma, because I don’t have an official rank.”</p><p> </p><p>R’Gina turned to look at Emma askance. “What do you mean?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve asked for a leave from Starfleet. For the time being. I thought that maybe… my skill set could be put to use elsewhere. Perhaps in aid of somewhat unorthodox diplomatic missions…?”</p><p> </p><p>“Were you looking for a recommendation of sorts? I can think of several Ambassadors who would—”</p><p> </p><p>Emma took a deep breath as R’Gina spoke on and thought to herself, <em> The direct approach. Right. </em></p><p> </p><p>“I want to be with you. On your team. And also… <em> be </em> with you. If I’m speaking out of turn, R’Gina, please let me know, but I think it’s better if I just put my cards out on the table… I think you’re beautiful. And also brave. And surprisingly compassionate. But if you’re not interested, I would still like to join you, on diplomatic missions. And I promise not to let any feelings I have get in the way of what you’d be trying to do.”</p><p> </p><p>“I see.”</p><p> </p><p>Emma held her breath and waited to hear what R’Gina would say. She’d taken another risk, but the stakes this time she felt were higher than they’d ever been.</p><p> </p><p>“Interestingly enough, I have been looking for someone like you, for quite some time. And not just for missions.” R’Gina’s gaze trailed to Emma’s lips. “I am glad our paths crossed when they did.”</p><p> </p><p>“So am I.”</p><p> </p><p>Emma raised her hand and R’Gina touched their fingers together lightly before grasping Emma’s hand and pulling her forward until their lips met.</p><p> </p><p>“Where to next?”</p><p> </p><p>“Would you rather know now, <em> Emma </em>, or en route?”</p><p> </p><p>Emma laughed. “We’re going to get on just fine, I think.”</p><p> </p><p>“Definitely.”</p><p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you very much for reading! Some liberties were taken with the Star Trek universe, but I hope I got enough details right to make it believable. Please forgive any errors you may find. I hope to come back and add a sequel to this at some point, it was very fun to write. </p><p>To the SQSN mods, thanks for putting this challenge together and for your patience, and thanks to DamaLasi for such wonderful art and the initial idea to spark this small story.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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